Mobile application developers in Ghana have shown great interest in the recently launched ‘MTN Apps Challenge’, according to senior officials of MTN Ghana.

The contest, which is opened to all local individuals and App Development organisations, has been introduced to the App Developer communities in Kumasi and Tamale after the launch in Accra.

The Chief Marketing Officer of MTN Ghana, Rahul De explained: ‘The APP competition is expected to encourage the growth of innovative applications with local themes that suit the Ghanaian market.

The contest will run for seven weeks and will be judged on their uniqueness, relevance and user-friendliness to the Ghanaian market’.

Winners of the contest will be rewarded with exciting packages that range from cash prize (for developing the apps) to data-centric devices. The first prize winner will be given an all-expense paid trip to a telecom conference in Africa, he added.

De noted that ‘MTN’s main objective of the competition is to harness local talents in application development, build strong affinity with the developer community and provide opportunity for developers to market their content via MTN platforms to deliver innovative services in Ghana.

It is also to help support the country’s national development through the creation of locally relevant and user–friendly ICT solutions to individuals and the business community’.

De noted that in line with MTN’s new vision of delivering a bold new digital world, MTN will continue to take advantage of the rapid technological advancement to introduce exciting mobile applications which has local themes and are relevant to the local market.

He stated that a local App Store would be unveiled after the contest on the MTN Play platform. The competition in Ghana forms part of the broad MTN agenda to increase local content. In 2011, MTN Group launched a competition for the best Android mobile applications from Africa and the Middle East.

During the launch of the Group competition MTN stated that its vision for the MTN App Store was to have an apps platform whose vast majority of applications is, by and large, created by the developer community.

The purpose is to offer MTN App Store subscribers an unmatched user experience, with exciting and varied content that cuts across all facets of life.